Meet Tanya Hennessy, radio presenter and one funny lady! We hit her up with a couple of questions to get some insight into the comedy scene.

Why do you love comedy?

I love to laugh and I love to make people laugh - it’s that simple.

What do you do if a joke fails?

I remember the first time I ever did stand up. It was a late night open mic night at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. I got up and did so many jokes which I thought were hilarious - that bombed. As in NO laughs at all… complete awkward silence. I TOTALLY bombed!

But I just kept going… ‘cause what is the other option? Run off the stage crying? (Well, I mean, I could have done that because I do love a dramatic exit!)

I think once you accept that some jokes will bomb… it becomes easier. I once saw Adam Hills in Sydney, and he had a few jokes fall over and he goes “usually that gets a laugh... I stuffed the setup, let me go again”. Seeing a veteran like Adam Hills have a stumble made me realize… if he can stumble after how many years of comedy, of course I’m going to. I think it’s about being robust and not letting a few fails get in the way of the big picture. No one is perfect. It’s a craft that takes years to develop… so accepting that you will fail – a lot – is a part of it.

I think you have to let go with comedy. Just prep as much as you can, then just perform and be present.

Who are the funniest people you know?

The funniest people I personally know are my best friends. They are the ones who have made me literally pee myself at restaurants (not a joke actually peed myself laughing at lunch… twice... this week).

What have been some of your proudest moments so far?

I could tell you some of my least proud moments? They are probably far funnier.

Creating my YouTube channel was a pretty proud moment for me – I had wanted to do it for ages.

Doing my own segment on national radio with Jules Lund and Emma Freedman on The Scoopla Show was, and continues to be something I am proud of.

Finally, I am proud of my radio segment I do called ‘BUSY DAD’. If you haven’t heard it I just call him and ask him frivolous questions till he hangs up in frustration. I get asked about it every day by someone… it’s a funny segment that I love making and I love that people dig it.

What are some things you are serious about?

I’m passionate about mental health awareness; I have two friends with schizophrenia and countless more with serious depression and anxiety. I am passionate about making mental health more commonly understood and discussed. I am passionate about raising awareness for suicide prevention and I am passionate about stopping bullying forever.

Are there more men in comedy than women? Why do you think this is?

From my personal experience, I would say yes, there are more men in comedy than women.

But, I would also say that now more than ever, female comics are in the spotlight. You have TV series like Girls and The Mindy Kaling Project. You just need to look at the commercial success of films like Pitch Perfect, Bridesmaids and basically whatever movies Melissa McCarthy and Rebel Wilson put their name to, to see how much audiences are craving and loving strong female comics.

Kristen Wiig and Tina Fey can basically look at a movie and it goes off at the box office. Right now, as I type this, they are filming a gender-swapped Ghost Busters! Now is the time for funny women!